Let me share with you what I know about gardening.
- Don't plant anything until the snow is melted off Black Butte.
- You have to keep things watered.
I don't garden. I don't even do house plants. Quite frankly, it has surprised me that I've managed to keep my children alive all these years. I suppose it's because they have voices and are mobile. Plants aren't.
One year my husband bought me a cactus. Certainly, I should be able to keep a cactus alive, right? If it wasn't for my husband, it would have died long ago. IT's not that I don't try, but I just don't have a knack for it. I water too much, or I water too little. I stick the plant in the wrong kind of light. I appreciate plants, very much, we just don't get along together.
As for Black Butte, that only works for those who live anywhere near it. I only know this piece of gardening information because it is repeated year after year among the gardening enthusiasts, "Snow's still on the butte, can't plant outdoors until it melts."
However, here is what I do know, that is well worth sharing with you. You don't have to be a gardening enthusiast yourself to interest your children in it. Seeds are relatively cheap (and a whole lot more entertaining then cheap toys that break after a few uses), so just go buy a packet or two, tell your children to pick a spot of ground, and plant those seeds in it. If you want to give them a Bible/science lesson, tell them to plant seeds in a rocky place, in soft dirt, and in a place where no matter how much you water, it all drains away rapidly. See what grows.
A couple of my children enjoy gardening, in spite of my defunct capabilities. I'm so glad!
Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB
